Tool Box Buzz: In the review of the RIDGID R4512 Table Saw I mentioned that I had built a lot of jigs and accessories. The first one I built was an extension table to fit between the fence rails. RIDGID even includes the screws and washers to mount the table. In this article I’ll tell you how to build your own extension table and then add a router lift to it. The same process works for adding just a standard router plate if you don’t want to go the full-blown lift route.
5 comments:
I found it interesting that the guy was complaining so much about the 10 dollar template that he had to buy for the tool. I am not surprised at all that they charge extra for it and that they rent it out, that is how they can make a few extra bucks and I am sure that it works for a lot of different products that they make. I am sure that the template would not fit in the box or could get damaged in the box during transport. But this was great in showing how you can make your own router table with little difficulty when you are making it. It would be interesting to see what else he has made in his shop for himself and see how much money he saved in doing it himself vs. buying it.
I have to agree with Robert here, thankfully with access to a cnc and assuming I would be able to find the dimensions of the template I'd just make my own if I could or just suck it up, $10 is minute in the scope of the project. Also like Robert, I wonder what other in shop improvements he's done....having recently built a panel saw for under $50 using only in shop resources I can personally say that these can certainly up your productivity with little damage to your budget.
I'm also fascinated by this guy's annoyance at having to spend ten WHOLE dollars on a template after he's clearly spent a good deal of money on a router, a router lift and accessories [that extruded aluminum track that houses all those sleds and jig accessories aren't exactly cheap, man]. But on the other hand, why did he need the template in the first place? He had the Rockler accessory in hand; why not simply take the measurements & placement off of that? So while I chastise a little for being cranky about spending $10, I also want to ask, "Did you even NEED that template in the first place?"
I'm all-aboard for building shop tools & furniture rather than buying them; ESPECIALLY when you're on a budget [and really, who isn't?]. For the resourceful shop kid, I think this project could have been done even cheaper.
There's a balance to be had between, "I have no time to build anything what with all the time I spend building shop tools" and "My children can't eat but I've got a REALLY slick shop." Your own mileage may vary.
This is really cool. I love the idea of adding on to the tools that we (as theatre people) use everyday in the shop. In my high school we made some modifications and additions to some of the saws that we used to make our jobs easier. This mostly came from the low budget we were working with. We didn't have the right tools for the job so we edited the ones we did have to get the job done effectively.
I think it's fantastic when companies (like RIDGID ) put in easy ways to add on to their equipment (like the the screws and washers). When companies help their costumers make the most out of the products the customers come back for more. Another thing that I really liked about this article was that there were many photos, with out these the instructions would not be easy to understand or follow.
That this was really interesting how he did all of this. I have just started to learn the joys of using a router and will always have one from this day forward. Having a solid router table in my short experience with the router makes all the different in the world. There all kinds of things that become possible.
I also love building and modifying things to better fit your particular needs and desires. This particular project might not be what you wanted but it may give you an idea for something else that could be very useful in your own shop.
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